Before nightfall, we had planned on being in Watkins Glen, New York so that my photographer and his wife could attend the wedding of Mark Mortimer and Margaret Franzese the following day. I was hoping to see Mark again as I hadn’t seen him since he sported KISS makeup at the safety conference in Dallas back in March. But before we could begin the two-hour ride to the village located on the southern shore of Seneca Lake, we had one final Presidential site to visit: the home of Millard Fillmore in East Aurora, New York.
The Fillmore house was situated in a quiet neighborhood a block north of Main Street in the center of town. Within a minute or so after parking the car, I was in my photographer’s hand as we walked through the opening of the white picket fence. I was carried up onto the porch of the small house and placed on the sill of a front window. Once again, the thoughts of being called a “Peeping Tom” crept into my mind; even though the place looked deserted. Sure enough, we saw a sign on the front door that stated the Fillmore home was not open of Fridays, which was just my luck.
It was interesting to me that Millard Fillmore had built that house in 1826; the same year that “the real” Thomas Jefferson had died. He lived there until 1830, which was when he moved to Buffalo. In 1930, after the house had fallen into disrepair, Mrs. Irving Price (Fisher-Price toy fame) bought the building, had it moved from Main Street to its present location, and turned it into her personal art studio.
As I stood on the front porch of Millard Fillmore’s home, the very home that he had built 188 years earlier, I took a moment to ponder how many times he had walked in and out of that front door; or perhaps sat on that porch with his new bride. I was thankful that Margaret Price saw the value in saving that historic building; even though it was purchased for her own use and not as a historical landmark.
At a few minutes past 4:00pm, I was carried down the brick walkway to the Avenger. Earlier in the day I stood on the grave of Millard Fillmore. I also saw the site where he lived after his Presidency and where he died. Then I had just left the house that Millard had built and lived in before he became famous. To be honest, I just about had my fill of Fillmore; although I still respected the 13th President because he was one of only 43 different men to hold that office. It’s just that he was a tad on the lackluster side; unlike just about every other President. Plus, I had to believe that when (and if) Royal Bobbles would ever create a Millard Fillmore bobble head, he likely would be the last of all the Presidents to hit Amazon or eBay.
It took us two hours to reach the Colonial Motel in Watkins Glen. Once we got into the room, I was placed on the nightstand in between the two beds. That would be where I would spend June 21st as I wasn’t invited to the Franzese – Mortimer wedding. It was a little disappointing to me that I didn’t get an invite as I could’ve hung out with the bride and groom that graced the top of their wedding cake. I think Mark was still a bit peeved at me after our time in Dallas when he was dressed like Gene Simmons and he asked out loud if he looked silly. I had nodded yes.
Sunday June 22nd was slated to be an exclusive travel day; I wasn’t going to visit any wineries in the Finger Lakes Region nor would I get to see Niagara Falls. But during my time alone in the camera case that was situated on the Avenger’s back seat, I had time to mentally prepare for the next trip; one that was scheduled to last ten days and take me to five Presidential grave sites. There’s nothing better than paying my respects to a dead President by standing on their tombstones.
That short weekend trip to upstate New York had been exhausting as I was moved from pillar to post throughout the city of Buffalo. I saw a lot of sites in a short period of time. Health-wise, I had escaped without any personal injury or bodily harm; which was more than I could say for the borrowed Sony camera.
